Bridle-bit.



H. SOHLUETER. BBIDLB BIT.

APPLICATION FILED 001223, 1905.

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PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY SCHLUETER, OF SORIBNER, NEBRASKA.

BRIDLE-IBIT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12, 1906.

To all whowt it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, HENRY SOHLUETER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Scribner, in the county of Dodge and State of Nebraska, haveinvented a new and useful Bridle-Bit, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to bridle-bits.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel form of bit in the useof which absolute control of a horse can be secured and, further, inwhich the animal will be positively prevented from taking the bitbetween its teeth.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the natureof the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novelconstruction and combination of parts of a bridle-bit, as will behereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which like characters of reference indicate correspondin parts,Figure 1 is a View in erspective of a bridle, showing the bit of t epresent invention combined therewith. Flg. 2- is an enlarged detailview, partly in section, of a portion of the bit.

Referrin to the drawings, 1 designates generally t e head-stall, withwhich is combined an overcheck 2, that is held assembled with thehead-strap 3 by a looped billet 4. The head-stall has combined with itthe usual brow-strap 5 and throat-strap 6. These parts operate in theordinary manner and may be constructed as shown or otherwise, andtherefore further description is deemed unnecessary.

The bit which forms one of the essential features of the presentinvention comprises two lower rings 7 and two upper rings 8, connectedwith the first-named rings by a swiveljoint 9, whereby the rings arefree to move independently of the rings 8. Each ring 7 is provided witha central bar 10, a pair of transversely-dis osed oppositely-curved bars11, and a pair 0 segmental bars 12 and 12, the former of which connectsone terminal of the bar 10 with one of the bars 11 and the latter ofwhich connects the two terminals of the bars 11. On the front side ofthe ring 7 there is an extended approximately rectangular loop 13, whichmay project any dis tance beyond the periphery of the ring and isprovided for the purpose of giving increased leverage where the bit isused upon a fractious or wild horse, the rein 14 being secured to theouter bar of the loop, as clearly shown. The strap-loop 13*, formed bythe ring and the bar 12, may be used under ordinary conditionsthat is tosay, with a horse that is ordinarily gentle. For very gentle horses, orhorses with soft months, there -may be a supplemental strap-loop 14*,combined with the bar 12 and disposed on the rear side thereof, and bythe combination of the three loops 13, 13 and 14 the bit will be adaptedfor use in connection with any kind of a horse. Each of the upper rings8 has a segmental bar 15 combined with it, that forms, in conjunctionwith the ring, a stra loop 16, and in the two loops thus formed tl ieterminals of the chin-strap 17 are secured, as clearly shown in Fig. 1,and are thus held against movement relatively to the ring. The overcheckis bifurcated, as usual, and its terminals 18 are secured to the rings7.

As will be seen by reference to Fig. 1, the loops 13 are arranged at thefront of the bit, so that when draft is applied u on the reins the rings7 will be turned on t eir axes and forced into engagpment with the sidesof the horses mouth, t ereby exerting a pinching action which will causethe animal to open its mouth, and thus remove the possibility of itscatching the bit between its teeth.

The mouth-bar 19 is of the toggle-check type, and its outer terminalsare pivotally connected with the portions 20 of the bar 10 locatedbetween the bars 11, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, whereby it will bepositively held against movement relatively to the bar 10 or, in otherwords, will always be held centered with respect to the rings 7.

When the reins are in engagement with the upper strap-loops 13, therewill be a straight pull exerted upon the toggle-check but when shiftedto the lower strap-loops the bit will be converted into a curb-bit andwill be effective in subduing a fractious animal.

The feature of novelty that differentiates the present invention fromthe prior art is the swivel connection between the upper and lowerbit-rings, whereby when draft is a plied to the reins the. lower ringswill e forced violently inward against the animals mouth or jaws, andthus operate positively to kee it under control.

aving thus described the invention, what is claime is- In a harness thecombination with a headstall having head-straps and a bifurcated IIOovercheck; of rings engaged by the terminals of the head-straps andbifurcated overcheck, a chin-strap secured to said rings, means withinthe rings for confining said strap in the lower portions of the rings,lower rings swiveled to the first-mentioned rings and havingforwardly-projecting rectangular rein-engaging loops integral therewith,a centrally-disposed bar within each of the lower rings and parallelwith the outer end of the rectan ular loop of said ring, a mouthbarpivota ly connected to the central bar,. oppositely-disposed curvedretaining-bars integral with each of the lower rings and adapted toprevent sliding movement of the mouthbar upon the central bar, a pair ofsegmental bars formed in each ring, one of said bars constituting areinforce at the inner end of the rectangular loop, and the outerrectangular bar forming an eye within the ring to receive a strap, andstra receiving loops gpon the central bars and lielow the mouth- Intestimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed mysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY SCH'LUETER.

Witnesses:

E. J. SPEAR, HENRY M. KIDDER.

